#1: Learn the land acknowledgement in your region.

There are a few ways to acknowledge the present and past Indigenous land title and territories. I've used several in the past but to prepare for this blog post I spent some time understanding some of the underlying meanings behind every word. Through that research I've changed how I will acknowledge land moving forward and offer them to the world wide web.  Before you skip ahead, hear me out as to why I will now be acknowledging Métis territory as a separate entity from Treaty territory. They are different (not one above the other, but equally important and deserving of acknowledgement) and here are a few initial reasons as to why:

1. The Métis scrip that was peddled throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta during the signing of Treaties 8 and 10 (Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan) did not specify that they were meant to permanently extinguish Aboriginal title.
2. The only place that Métis are included in the numbered treaties is Treaty 3.
3. Métis are distinct, but the federal government has the same fiscal ability to provide assistance as they have for Indians under the Constitution Act (1867) (not the Indian Act) Additional clarification to reason #3: Many people assume that the supreme court ruling added Metis to the Indian Act, however that is not the case. Essentially it says that the federal government can no longer use the excuse that they do not have constitutional jurisdiction (however didn't clarify whether that is specific or broad fiduciary responsibility) to Metis and non-status. A really good article that clarifies the judgement can be found here.
4. In Alberta, Métis lobbying led to the Métis Population Betterment Act (1939) which created 12 Métis colonies (four dissolved in the 1950s). This is the only constitutionally-protected Métis land base in Canada. Métis own their land in fee simple (strongest land right) and have a measure of self-government. However, this doesn't mean that all Métis ​land need to go this route.

In order to make a claim for Aboriginal title, an Aboriginal group must satisfy the following criteria: (i) the land must have been occupied prior to sovereignty, (ii) there must be a continuity between present and pre-sovereignty occupation, and (iii) at the time of sovereignty, that occupation must have been exclusive. You may be asking, how can Métis have Aboriginal title, aren't they are result of the fur trade? Well they are but the fur trade began a hundred years before Canada became a sovereign nation (which varies province to province). Canada is 150 years old, the Métis became a Nation about 200 years ago, and the fur trade began roughly 250 years ago. When Rupertsland was sold to become Canada, it was done so without either the Métis, First Nation or Inuit Nations' consent and without extinguishment of their Aboriginal title. If you'd like to learn more about intricacies of Métis land title click here. 

Why did I go on that tangent? It's now my personal opinion that any land acknowledgment should be reflective of the unique and unceded territory of the Métis people. I am by no means an expert so if you disagree with my conclusion please feel free to correct me. To be fair, an act a day doesn't exactly allow for extensive research. 

Land Acknowledgements:

• I'd like to start by recognizing that we have gathered today in Treaty 8, the traditional territory of the Cree, Dene and Métis people. 
• I'd like to acknowledge that we are within Treaty 8, the traditional territory of the Cree and Dene Nations as well as the unceded territory of the Métis people.
• Click here for a list of the land acknowledgments by post-secondary institutions across Canada.